N. Korea pulls out of football tournament in South: Seoul

North Korea has pulled out of a December international women's football tournament in the South, Seoul's football authorities said Tuesday, weeks after Pyongyang hosted a surreal World Cup qualifier in a near-empty stadium.Pyongyang's nuclear talks with Washington are at a deadlock and it has been at loggerheads with Seoul since the collapse of the Hanoi summit between leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in February.The North has repeatedly excoriated Seoul, saying it has "noth

North KoreaOct. 30, 2019

WhatsApp sues Israeli firm NSO over cyberespionage

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) -- WhatsApp on Tuesday sued Israeli technology firm NSO Group, accusing it of using the Facebook-owned messaging service to conduct cyberespionage on journalists, human rights activists and others.The suit filed in a California federal court contended that NSO Group tried to infect approximately 1,400 "target devices" with malicious software to steal valuable information from those using the messaging app.WhatsApp head Will Cathcart said the lawsuit was filed after

World NewsOct. 30, 2019

'Game of Thrones' prequel series confirmed by HBO

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- A prequel series to "Game of Thrones" titled "House of the Dragon" has been ordered, WarnerMedia announced Tuesday, as it set out launch details for its new HBO Max streaming service.The new show in George RR Martin's epic fantasy world will be set 300 years before the events of TV smash hit "Thrones," and is based on the book "Fire and Blood.""It's my pleasure to announce today that we are ordering 'House of the Dragon' straight

TelevisionOct. 30, 2019

Trump claimed S. Korea was 'major abuser,' had to pay $60b to US: memoir

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump called South Korea a "major abuser" and claimed the US ally should pay $60 billion a year for the stationing of American troops in the country, according to a memoir published Tuesday.Guy Snodgrass, former chief speechwriter and communications director to former US Defense Secretary James Mattis, made the revelation in his new book, "Holding the Line: Inside Trump's Pentagon with Secretary Mattis," as he recounted a meeting between Trum

Foreign AffairsOct. 30, 2019

New S. Korean ambassador to UN vows to focus on Korea peace process

NEW YORK -- South Korea's new ambassador to the United Nations vowed Tuesday to focus his efforts on establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula through the global body.Amb. Cho Hyun held a meeting with reporters at the South Korean mission to the UN, saying the multinational organization can play an important role in realizing President Moon Jae-in's vision for a Korean Peninsula peace process. "My priority is what role I will play at the UN to put in place the Korean Peninsula peace proces

Foreign AffairsOct. 30, 2019

With tears and sweat, BTS wraps up globe-trotting concert tour in home country

Tears and sweat wrapped up K-pop superband BTS' year-long world concert tour in the capital of their home country on Tuesday. The famous home ARMY's fan chant consecutively naming the seven BTS members brought to a close BTS' "Love Yourself" world tour at the thundering Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul, 14 months after the same chant launched the band from here onto the forefront of the world music scene.The finale edition of the three days of concerts officially capped the band's hea

PerformanceOct. 30, 2019

S. Korea beats military club in tuneup for Olympic baseball qualifiers

The South Korean national baseball team eked out a 5-1 win over the military club Sangmu on Tuesday in a tuneup game for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament. Starter Park Jong-hoo tossed three shutout innings and slugger Choi Jeong had two of the team's seven hits at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, where pitchers generally looked sharper than hitters.Managed by Kim Kyung-moon, South Korea is gearing up for the Premier12 tournament, which begins next week as the Olympic qualification event. Sou

BaseballOct. 29, 2019

[Newsmaker] Senior police officer indicted over nightclub scandal

Prosecutors indicted a senior police officer Tuesday over an alleged attempt to cover up irregularities at Seoul nightclubs involving former BIGBANG member Seungri.A senior superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, identified only by his surname, Yoon, faces bribery, obstruction of business and other charges.The 49-year-old is alleged to have tried to cover up illicit activities at Burning Sun, a nightclub in southern Seoul, and other firms run by Seungri and the K-pop star's busin

Social AffairsOct. 29, 2019

Top diplomats of S. Korea, New Zealand agree to boost bilateral cooperation

The top diplomats of South Korea and New Zealand agreed Tuesday to enhance bilateral ties in the economy, defense and other various fields, Seoul's foreign ministry said.  Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her counterpart, Winston Peters, held talks in Seoul and agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, as well as in areas of mutual interest, such as hydrogen energy development and research in the Antarctic, the ministry said in a release. They also decided to

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 29, 2019

Moon's mother dies from chronic illness at age 92

Kang Han-ok, mother of President Moon Jae-in, died Tuesday at the age of 92, Cheong Wa Dae announced.She died at a hospital in Busan, the president's hometown located some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 7:06 p.m., it said. She had reportedly suffered from an illness for a long time and had been in critical condition in recent days.Moon plans to hold a "calm" family funeral at the wishes of the deceased, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson, Ko Min-jung.No condolence calls or

PoliticsOct. 29, 2019

Prosecution seeks arrest warrant for brother of ex-justice minister

The prosecution again sought an arrest warrant for a younger brother of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk on Tuesday over a hiring scandal and an alleged fake lawsuit in connection with a private school foundation run by his family.State prosecutors asked a Seoul court to issue a warrant to formally detain the 52-year-old man over charges, including breach of duty, bribery, obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting destruction of evidence. The brother, who worked at the Woongdong school found

Social AffairsOct. 29, 2019

[Graphic News] Norway tops rankings for women’s quality of life

　Norway and Switzerland are the best countries for women and Yemen and Afghanistan the worst, according to research.　While women’s quality of life has improved in some 60 countries, it has deteriorated in Yemen and other war-torn nations, research organizations Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Peace Research Institute Oslo concluded. 　The researchers looked at 167 countries since 2017, when the first Women, Peace and Security Index was compiled, wei

World NewsOct. 29, 2019

[Advertising Awards] LG Electronics’ appliances make homes healthier

MARKETING AWARDS/ GOLD PRIZELG ELECTRONICSBy Oh Sae-chonVice president Yellow dust and ultrafine dust are becoming threats to our lives as time goes by. In light of these environmental issues, the role of home appliances has grown beyond just keeping houses clean; they also help ensure the health and safety of families. For instance, appliances can be used to maintain air quality at home and to provide clean water all year round. Careful management of such products is also important. There

IndustryOct. 29, 2019

[Advertising Awards] I am your energy, GS Caltex

PRINCIPAL AWARDS / GOLD PRIZEGS CALTEXBy Lee Sang-hunVice president of public relationsFirst of all, I would like to express our gratitude for giving us the 2019 Korea Herald Advertising Awards Gold Prize, which will no doubt boost GS Caltex’s communication activities.In 2009, GS Caltex set its corporate brand identity as “energy for sustainable life” and developed “I am your Energy” as a brand slogan to better communicate with consumers. In March that year, th

IndustryOct. 29, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Black Money’ tells a convincing tale in a questionable manner

There is a certain risk in making a movie based on a true story: The creator takes sides and ends up having an agenda. When the audience is on board with the idea, it’s great. Otherwise, it becomes a problem.“Black Money” is a movie that has a clear purpose and a message to get across, which is to raise awareness about the ongoing multibillion-dollar investor-state dispute between the South Korean government and a private equity firm. “‘Black Money’ is differe

FilmOct. 29, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] “Animal Farm” still appeals to us in 2019

George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” is widely known as a satirical fable of the Russian Revolution of 1917. Although he was a democratic socialist himself, Orwell was deeply disillusioned by Stalin and communism, because in his eyes the Soviet Union hopelessly degenerated into a ruthless tyranny, a reign of terror and a cult of personality that worshipped its leader.Written in 1945, “Animal Farm” has become a classic today, frequently quoted when people criticize the hypo

ViewpointsOct. 29, 2019

[Stephen Mihm] Wealth tax could deliver happiness dividend

When a study released earlier this month showed the wealthiest Americans paying a lower tax rate than any other group, Democratic presidential candidates embraced it as a proof that they were on the right track. While their tax-the-rich proposals vow to create a better economic balance, the candidates often pivot to what they would do with the proceeds: Medicare for All, student loan relief, infrastructure repair, and other expensive programs. Those equations have raised serious doubts, and for

ViewpointsOct. 29, 2019

Pyongyang rejects Seoul’s proposal of working-level talks

North Korea has turned down South Korea’s proposal to hold a working-level meeting over the regime’s plan to tear down the South’s facilities at the Kumgangsan tourist resort, the Unification Ministry said Tuesday. “The North has insisted on discussing a demolition plan and schedule for (South Korea’s) facilities (at the Kumgangsan resort) by means of exchanging documents without having to hold a working-level meeting proposed by our side,” the ministry said i

North KoreaOct. 29, 2019

Hyundai names new Genesis head

Manfred Fitzgerald who led Genesis, the luxury brand of Hyundai Motor, for nearly four years has tendered his resignation citing personal reasons, the company said Tuesday.The former director of brand and design Lamborghini joined the company in January 2016, and is said to have contributed to raising the brand’s profile in a short period of time. Genesis G70, the smallest sedan of the family, was named the Car of the Year in North America, early this year.Fitzgerald will be replaced by Le

MobilityOct. 29, 2019